The compound (+)-2-(7-chloro-1,8-naphthyridine-2-yl)-3-(5-methyl-2-oxo-hexyl)-1-isoindolinone, also called pagoclone, is a GABA (gamma amino butyric acid) receptor ligand that is presently being evaluated in human clinical studies for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
Pagoclone can also be used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, acute stress disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, somatization disorder, specific social phobia, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, anxiety associated with a medical condition, adjustment disorder with anxious mood, dysthymia, specific phobia or fibromyalgia.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,779, issued Oct. 2, 1990, relates to pyrrole derivatives and compositions comprising pyrrole derivatives, including pagoclone, and to methods of producing an anxiolytic, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, antiepileptic or muscle relaxant therapeutic effect that comprises administering a pyrrole derivative.
The present invention provides a convenient method for making racemic 2-(7-chloro-1,8-naphthyridine-2-yl)-3-(5-methyl-2-oxo-hexyl)-1-isoindolinone and (+)-2-(7-chloro-1,8-naphthyridine-2-yl)-3-(5-methyl-2-oxo-hexyl)-1-isoindolinone.